Best media streamer for Mac: 6 reviewed

Best Media Streamer for Mac: 6 of

Television is a good thing, but it is still where you get the maximum fun, you're missing. Good multimedia box makes it much, much more, will link with great content online that can be downloaded free from rent, and, of course, whatever their videos.

Streaming media boxes do the same: play all files you have. Almost all offer Ethernet connections to connect your home network, and if you do not have integrated wireless, there is always a safety device you can buy (better with a wired network, if, possibly through power lines to ensure the seamless connections).

Some have their own hard-drives to store data. Others simply use the USB port, so you can connect a memory stick with files. Almost all come into their own when it is dedicated to the NAS in standby mode, which means that you can easily add and organize your files through the Mac, without the need to keep it running to play at a later time.

They're all the same thing though? Not even close. On basic applications become much more dedicated services like iPlayer, the iTunes Music Store for access to the Apple TV. What is the best media streamer for the Mac?

Apple tv

Mac Media Streamers Test

A test: Streaming

This should be easy in theory. Create a shared folder on your Mac or connect a UPnP capable NAS, and go. But in practice can be tedious.

Apple TV is by far the easiest to connect to your Mac, connect directly to iTunes, even if it is severely limited by the fact that iTunes can hardly be sufficient to provide all the forms at all.

For others, it is usually possible to obtain the smoothest ride dedicated to the NAS, or use a UPnP client, instead of relying on OS X. In addition to Apple TV, most of the support for all major media formats that can be around, as most of them run on the Internet.

In general, you select from a list of files containing music, images and video, despite the Boxee Box PopBox and try to identify and present files in a more structured - seasons, episodes, the cover art and so on. Unfortunately, in practice, Boxee is a failure to identify, while the PopBox lost even the existence of multiple files.

Test Two: New Content

Apple TV is only one of these to provide adequate films and shows, apparently through the iTunes Store. If you buy a lot there, no problem.

Further, you're out of luck. Among others, Boxee has the best selection of online content, including BBC iPlayer. The problem is that not everything is guaranteed to play and how it categorizes his collection is very poor. A film about Hitler's bunker led the comedy? A film-sounding Japanese impairment in the animation? Okay ...

Others offer a mix of content. Almost everyone - including the Apple TV - YouTube and Flickr offer, but neither iPlayer or show web is still not guaranteed. Only Boxee and Apple TV (if you're willing to pay) feels like devices that you want to sit in front to see what is new, which is a shame.

In almost all cases, is only what you can send for free on the Internet, and there is no guarantee that the device is never updated Flash Player.

Test Three: Ease of Use

Each stream media is very similar. Out of the box, connect the HDMI cable (the PopBox is also compatible with component or composite), Ethernet cable or wireless dongle and plug it in, and just punch in your Internet settings should be left.

Apple TV is by far the easiest to get the network performance through the exchange of iTunes. With the exception of the PopBox (which took much tinkering), none had problems connecting to our sin.

Mac-based division was a different story, with lots of error messages and see if the flags on our test Mac, but can not really connect to it. UPnP server is usually a friend here, but added a point of failure: do not offer much, if any, by the way of help.

Over the whole, one is left with simple menus. The Iomega Boxee and win bonus points for your keyboard / remote hybrid. Otherwise, there is little to separate it.

Test four: the interface

To own sleekness, nothing beats the Apple TV. It does not matter as much as others, but what it does, it makes it beautiful.

Boxee is too, with heavy use of images and transitions between its own interface and services such as iPlayer, who also liked the options as the ability to prioritize their own content on Web content.

The only downside is that often you do not get as much as it looks - a single episode of a show via Five catch-up service, which appears as if it were a complete set of sinking into. It's disappointing when you're busy zapping widely.

The banners are all the other viewers, but the sound is nothing exceptional - no interface would be ashamed to have on your screen when customers are there, but little of what makes them basically glorified search engines. The PopBox is rough and black, color and robust direct WDTV. Of land, somewhere in between.

The Best Media Streamer for Mac: PopBox

If all the content in a format compatible with iTunes, or purchased from the iTunes Store, you really can not go wrong with the Apple TV. For most users, even if it's just too good.

Elsewhere, in terms of pure features, Boxee box could easily take the prize, if he had not spent much time on our test of its goofs face as required by the old TV episode of the film in Salt ...

However, it is still by far the best performer of Web content. Unfortunately, the cost of Boxee always brings down a notch or two.

That leaves PopBox is the best all-round media streamer our test - offers iPlayer and other web content, classification, and a good range of extra features. But beware: the problem is that it can be a real pain to run on the first try.

If you are not comfortable getting your hands dirty, not to exclude Apple TV or WDTV Live Hub. We are sure that one of these two will get you started quickly.